Sunday, 26 August 2012

Beside the Seaside, Beside the Sea

We have spent the most glorious day on the beach with my family. It is the August bank holiday here in the UK, and we are enjoying a three day weekend. I feel that by spending it at the seaside, I have spent it properly, which I realise is ridiculous. Despite gloomy weather forecasts predicting wind and rain we had hours of sunshine today.

It was a bright and blustery day with big, scudding clouds and constantly changing light. Not warm enough for swimming, but certainly warm enough to be outside all day.The views across the Solent were crystal clear. You could almost see the individual houses on the Isle of Wight across the water.

I could not stop looking at the clouds today. Look at that bright, silvery light.

Bella surveyed the view. John says she has copied that stance from me.

My parents have a beach hut on Hayling Island. We have had a beach hut there since before I was born, and many sunny weekends of my childhood were spent there. It was wonderful to take Bella and Angus there and see how utterly happy they were. Although, after an initial exploration of the beach hut, they ignored it continued with normal beach behaviour; running around, digging holes, throwing sand everywhere and shouting.

The inside is like a shed but much prettier. I can imagine how fun it would be to really go to town with decorating the interior of a beach hut - whitewashing it, making cushions and curtains and tablecloths in matching fabrics...it's probably just as well we could never afford one.

We flew kites...

...explored the fun fair...

...and bought ice creams.

By the end of the afternoon, the view had changed completely. The air was hazy, the light grey, and the wind cool.

John taught Angus the universal male art of throwing stones into the sea.

Happy days.

The kids fell asleep in record time tonight. Also, John has really caught the sun. He has hilarious streaky red arms, neck and face from careless sun cream application. He is radiating heat. He had to go and find some after-sun in Mum's bathroom. Of course I am distracting him from his discomfort by laughing at him constantly, good wife that I am.

I hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend, whatever you may be doing.

46 comments:

Oh how lovely! Hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing holiday! Thanks for sharing the beach photos...just beautiful! I love the fluffy clouds. It's been way too long since we were last at the beach. Time for a vacation soon.

Beautiful pictures, love the clouds, and the sea, and the happy children, and the chairs, and..Love your post, as always. In the last one I especially liked the one of the naroow, boat, which reminded me there is a canal from Leeds to...I don't know anymore. Groetjes, Gerda

Hi,Very pleased you had some sun. I can smell that sea air (love it!) and I have always loved beach huts. I have funnily enough been there a few times as my father is from Gosport and we would go down a few times each year! Hope you are having a good day today too! Oh the memories... I sure you have just added some too!!Ivan

Hi Ivan, Gosport isn't all that far, although I have to say I have never been. My husband is desperate to visit the submarine museum there, but currently he is the only one in the family who wants to go!

I seriously love your idea of a beach hut in the garden. Somewhere comfortable and pretty, a little haven. I am thinking of Emma (of Silverpebble's) gorgeous shed which she works from - very inspiring. x

The interiors vary a lot - some are simply a dusty, spidery place to store chairs, umbrellas and wind breaks, others are beautifully and lovingly decorated. I guess it depends how much time you want to spend there!

with only one out of the three days being this good weatherwise you did make the most of it. Lots of lovely memory making.I love the photos and hubby should be grateful you only laughed at him and didn't put a photo of him on your blog!xxx

Me too. They can be expensive though - i think you have to pay an annual maintenance fee. My parents hardly used theirs last summer and worked out it cost £100 a visit! They talked about selling it but my sisters and I persuaded (bullied) them not to, and they all go down most sunny days now.